Kōno Maē
| age = 17 | gender = Female | height = 164 cm (5'4 ft) | weight = 45 kg (99 lbs) | blood type = B | hometown = Hoshigakure | affiliation = Hoshigakure | previous team =Team Somo | partner = Somo Arata | clan = | family = Curley Maē (Father) | rank = Chūnin | classification = | reg = 01-013 | academy = 5 | chunin = 10 | jonin = | kekkei = | tota = | beast = | hiden = | nature = Yang Release | jutsu = Needle Hell Needle Jizō | weapons = Chakra Enhanced Triple-Bladed Claw }} Kōno Maē (河野メイ, Kōno mei) is a chūnin of Hoshigakure. When she is assigned to Team Somo, she quickly finds herself at home and content with her team members. She develops an unwavering sense of camaraderie in them, and will now do anything for them and her village. Background From an early age her father raised her to embody the meaning of the Dahlia flower, which symbolizes elegance, inner strength, creativity and dignity. But along the way she misinterpreted it's meaning, her interpretation is as follows "that to be truly strong you have to make your opponent love you, of course." Leading her to be obsessed with her appearance to eventually captivate her opponent. At some point she became a genin, and was placed on Team Somo with members, Somo Arata and Dai Matsunga. With this team she learned to love and the true meaning of friendship and companionship. Shortly after Team Somo took the Country Elite Competition in Takigakure. In the Preliminary round she was matched against his teammate, Dai Matsunga; she eventually won this match. After the competiton she is seen attending Lord Rōshi's funeral, after he had been captured and killed by Kisame Hoshigaki. She is later seen leaving Hoshigakure with Somo Arata, Dai Matsunga, and Sumaru in search of Kisame. Personality Kōno's most notable characteristic is her complete obsession with her appearance. She will always find time for the grooming of her features, even during a battle she will occasionally pull out a brush or mirror. She also has an unwavering admiration for strong ninja. When defeated by Kisame Hoshigaki she stared in awe at his raw power. She could not believe that a ninja could be strong without the use of captivation or mere attraction. She is extremely prideful. She prides herself on her Chūnin rank, her appearance, and also her status as a top Hoshigakure ninja. She is exhilarated when matched with her teammate Dai Matsunga in the Exams, and even more excited and prideful when she successfully defeated a strong ninja such as he. Kōno has an extreme addiction to the internet. She spends much of her time searching up new trends and hairstyles. It is almost depicted in Expedition I that Konō possesses great ability in the kitchen. She is seen whipping up many traditional Japanese cuisines, as well as critiquing other dishes. Appearance Kōno has fair skin, hazel eyes, and long orange hair. Her hair is seen in differing lengths and hairstyles: in Expedition I, she is seen with a messy side ponytail, but it later grows to be shoulder length if not longer. Kōno most typically wears a dark blue blouse, which is worn with the left side below the shoulder. She also wears a pink skirt which runs above the knee, and black sandals. All of this is then adorned with two white hair clips and vibrant blue earrings. Kōno has been seen, however, wearing a baby blue kimono dress that extends to her thigh area; adnored with matching heels. Abilities Kōno has become a remarkable and admirable shinobi, earning the title of one of Hoshigakure's finest and strongest ninja. She is a highly capable ninja with an aptitude to ninja techniques involving her hair. Ninjutsu Kōno has a natural aptitude to ninjutsu, learning the technique Needle Jizō on her own. She relies on her skills in this area as her primary defense. She utilizes her hair, classifying it as ninjutsu. Hair Related Techniques Whilst in battle, Kōno's hair takes on the role as her primary defense and offense. Her hair can fire up to 500 needles at once utilizing her signature, Needle Hell, and also protect her from taijutsu users using Needle Jizō. This is evident in her battle with Dai Matsugna, a skilled taijutsu user, who had a difficult time touching her. Bukijutsu In battle, Kōno will revert to the use of her claw if her opponent proves too fast for her defenses, or her needles prove futile. She can infuse her Yang chakra into the blades for a longer range attack. She often uses this claw to aid her in her taijutsu assaults, taking enemies by surprise with her prowess. Stats The Arata Expedition Trivia *According to the databook(s): **Konō hobbies include searching the internet for new trends and shopping. **Konō wishes to one day to open a tea and dumpling restaurant. **Konō's favorite food is Botamochi, while her least favorite is Sashimi.